Going Online? What You Need To Know About The Digital Transformation

Digital marketing agencies and search engines optimisation (SEO) practitioners have been banging the digital transformation drum for years. Were they merely drumming up business?

You can be forgiven for thinking the digital arena is overwhelming. The competition is global. And if you’re not comfortable with digital technologies, trying to wrap your head around SEO and online marketing can send you into a head spin.

However, there’s no doubt that SMEs will have no option other than to embrace to digital revolution at some point. In a world heading towards contactless transactions, the vast majority of B2C interactions will be digital.

The coronavirus pandemic has expedited digital adoption. SMEs that were formerly reluctant to go online now find themselves under pressure to implement digital technologies alongside the burden of deploying a remote workforce.

Earlier this year OECD noted the “SMEs lag in the digital transformation” and “must be better prepared”.

It’s inevitable that SMEs will go digital. So how can you make the transition as smooth as possible? The information in this article details critical information that is SEO experts and digital marketing agencies don’t tell you.

Protect Customer Data 

Businesses that collect, store and process the personal details of consumers are obligated to protect customer data. Failing to comply with data protection laws under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) will result in a penalty of 2-4% of your global annual income.

Businesses that do suffer a data breach are also obligated to inform all parties that have been affected; customers, suppliers, stakeholders etc. A data breach could seriously damage your business.

Cybersecurity, therefore, has to be a priority. The good news is that IT security solutions that include encryption, anti-virus and awareness training are effective strategies.

Patch Management

In addition to IT security solutions, patch management is a key component to reinforce your cybersecurity defences. Patch management is a centralised service that makes it securing vulnerabilities in your IT network convenient, quicker, reliable and effective.

A digital transformation naturally involves adopting technologies that will leverage communications channels with customers and/or employees. Digital channels mean downloading a variety of applications onto devices and your business network.

Applications and software are susceptible to cybercriminals. Talented hackers can find gateways in the code that enables them to infiltrate networks and collect information such as passwords.

If a hacker obtains a password for an app, they can install a variety of malware. The most common form of cybercrime technology at the moment is ransomware.

A ransomware attack basically abducts your IT system until you pay a ransom to the hackers in return for your data.

This is why software companies release updates every so often. You will probably know from experience that some updates can take several hours to download. This is obviously disruptive to the smooth running of your operations.

Imagine how many hours of productivity will be lost if you have to update multiple apps!

There is also the issue of entrusting your employees with performing updates themselves. If they have laptops, smartphones and tablets to update with multiple apps, can you be certain they will perform the update when they have deadlines and targets to meet?

Businesses that fail to perform software updates after a patch has been released are held responsible in the event of a data breach. Patch management services ensure that you avoid the risks.

Be Agile 

Adopting digital technologies means you need the agility to maintain your systems, adapt to changes in the market and update subsystems.

If the foundations of your IT network do not allow you to respond to the changes in the market quickly your profits will suffer. You need the agility to or build out your system to seize market opportunities.

IT technologies such as cloud computing solutions are essential components of a digital transformation. A hybrid cloud strategy gives you the ability to share documents, enhance collaboration, improve cybersecurity and lower the costs of storing data.

Moving forward you will also find that particular technologies in your existing arsenal are no longer giving you the results you want. Improved technologies periodically come on to the market that serves you better.

Investing in ‘pay-as-you-go’ services enables you to take advantage of digital technologies when they are most relevant and profitable to your business. If you are merely renting these technologies, you don’t lose out like you do when you buy software and don’t get your money’s worth.

Pay-as-you-go services also mean you can manage your annual budget more efficiently. You know how much spending is being dedicated to IT each month.

In today’s digital landscape you will find multiple “as-a-service” offering including software as a service (SAAS), platform as a service (PAAS), and infrastructure as a service (IAAS).

Fully integrated digital technologies are also ideal for automation. They can often strip out the need to perform manual actions and cut down on laborious administration duties.

IT Support For Your Digital Transformation

Digital technologies are paving the way towards a change in consumer behaviour and how employees work. The digital revolution is inevitable and resisting the transformation is more likely to be damaging to your business.

Teething problems are inevitable, but with an experienced IT support team standing by to smooth over the creases, the digital transformation is far easier.

Micro Pro offer essential technologies and services that help make the transition to the digital landscape successful. Moreover, we can create custom packages so you only need to pay for the services and technologies you need.

Our experienced IT support teams in London, Surrey, Kent and Glasgow are on hand 24/7 and provide essential solutions together with best practice advice.

For more information, contact us today and let us help make your digital transformation roll out smoothly.